DOCTOR SEES WAY TO UNLEASH HEALING POWER

Bob CondorCHICAGO TRIBUNE

More Americans visit zoos each year than all professional sporting events combined. What that says about human nature and nature is significant to Dr. Howard Frumkin.

He recently published a paper in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine that argues for a new approach to environmental health and medicine. Rather than investigate only "the hazardous effects of toxic chemicals, radiation and biological and physical agents," Frumkin said that experiencing nature--from walks in the forest to a day at the zoo--should be part of research and treatment.

"Perhaps we will advise patients to take a few days in the country, spend time gardening or adopt a pet if clinical evidence offers support for such measures," Frumkin said.

Frumkin's position builds on the "biophilia" hypothesis of Harvard University scientist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edward O. Wilson, who offered in a 1984 book that humans are innately and emotionally attracted to other living organisms. For instance, there is a wide body of evidence linking pets to human health. The findings about pet ownership surprise even Frumkin.

"Dog ownership is right up there with an aspirin a day for protecting heart health," Frumkin said.

One study showed that men and women who own dogs are less at risk for high blood pressure or excess cholesterol. Another study reported that people who suffered first heart attacks were six times more likely to be alive a year later than patients without dogs. What's more, a survey of nearly 24,000 Medicare enrollees revealed that dog owners made fewer doctor visits than non-owners.

"You might think the health benefits come from people getting more exercise by walking their dogs or maybe because people with heart problems will avoid pets," Frumkin said. "The good studies control for that. What might explain it is positive relationships are healthy. Dogs can provide companionship--and they don't argue."

Cat lovers won't be happy, but Frumkin said research does not show similar benefits for feline owners.

Plants are a documented source of relaxation, Frumkin said.

One landmark study of gallbladder surgery patients over 10 years showed that individuals with rooms looking out to a stand of trees stayed one day fewer, on average, than patients whose windows faced a brown brick wall.

"My impression is a lot of doctors are sympathetic to nature as healing on an intuitive level," Frumkin said. "I hear positive comments from them after making talks on the subject. But they really don't accept it in practice."

Ditto for patients; not everyone will be satisfied with a prescription to get more fresh air.

"Doctors and patients are used to high-tech solutions," Frumkin explained. Even if the grade is steep, Frumkin plans to move forward like a hiker on a mountain path. Doctors in his own discipline of environmental health are willing to work with engineers to build equipment to test toxic exposure or consult chemists to measure it, he said. Or they will commission software designers to apply geographic information systems to health data. But he said that that's not enough. According to Frumkin, it's time to consult with landscape architects, interior designers, veterinarians and urban planners to help create a total picture of health.

"It's a matter of transforming travel agent talk into medical talk," Frumkin said. "Doctors and patients will feel more confident if we have the appropriate research about health and nature."

Frumkin has a particular interest in children's health, not surprising given that he is director of the pediatric environmental health unit at Emory University's School of Public Health. If it is true that contact with nature is good for health, he said, it would be even more so for the developing bodies and emotional well-being of kids.

"Research might suggest we should be building more schools near parks or offering horticulture classes for students," said Frumkin, father of two grade-schoolers. It might turn out the school camping trip--his kids go on one each year--"is as important as exercising in the gym," he said.

In any case, Frumkin added, common sense can mingle with hard science.

"At first I thought it is necessary to separate out any aesthetic factor," he said, such as the inspiration Chicagoans can draw from Lake Michigan on a sunny, clear day. "But it occurs to me that whatever makes you feel good about nature may simply be good for you."